As one of the successful schools in Phase 1 of the School-Based Nursery Grant programme, Minet Infant and Nursery School established a thirty place 2-year-old nursery in September 2025, but have the capacity to increase this to forty places.

Early Excellence have a long-established relationship with Minet Infant and Nursery School in Middlesex as they are a Host School. We asked Abbas Jaffer, Deputy Headteacher and EYFS Leader, to share their experience of the process .

Why did you decide to apply for the School-based Nursery Grant?

We already have a successful 120 place nursery for 3-4year olds, welcoming 60 children to both the morning and afternoon sessions. We know there is a demand locally for 2-year-old places, and we also we also know all the benefits. It would be wonderful to be able to get to know and support these children from an earlier age, identifying and removing any barriers to learning. An extra year with us would really help them to settle into school life.

Why Early Excellence? 

We are proud to be a Host School for Early Excellence and have benefitted from the Classroom Design service in the past, as well as buying additional resources online. We always know that we will be getting quality resources with curriculum expertise. It is crucial that you get the learning environment right to facilitate learning.

What was the experience like?

Communication was excellent throughout the process. We talked to an Early Excellence consultant online to discuss which furniture would be most suitable for our new provision, taking account of the age and developmental stages of the children. We had set a delivery date but had to postpone this due to overrunning building work – and the Early Excellence team were incredibly accommodating and rescheduled our delivery for us. 

What has been the impact?

It is great to be up and running! Despite a few tears in the first few days, the children have settled very quickly and extremely well, and we are looking forward to watching them flourish!   

What would be your “top tips” for any school looking to apply for Phase 2 of the School-based Nursery Grant?

1. Give yourself time. There’s a lot of work that needs to be done; ordering resources, designing the curriculum, marketing the provision, and potentially procurement if building works are necessary – and then there is the construction itself!

2. Less is more. Don’t buy lots of resources, books and furniture. Consider carefully what a 2-year-old needs. Less quantity is more quality. Do your research carefully. What are the best books for this age range, what is the best seating, how much do we need? Which shape of tables will generate conversation? What types of scissors should you buy? Consider schemas – are you offering opportunities for these?

There is a lot to think about – but it is worth it!